Battle of Silva Arsia

The Battle of Silva Arsia was a battle fought between the nascent Roman Republic and the Etruscan forces of Tarquinii and Veii under Lucius Tarqiuinius Superbus. The battle saw the republican leader Lucius Junius Brutus and Tarquin's son Aruns Tarquin spear each other dead in a duel, and, while the Romans lost their leader, they drove the Etruscans from the field and ensured that the Republic survived.

In 509 BC, the Roman monarchy under Tarquin was overthrown by Lucius Junius Brutus and republican Romans in reaction to the rape of Lucretia by Tarquin's son, and the Romans elected two consuls to lead them during their revolt. Tarquin garnered the support of the Etruscan city-states of Tarquinii and Veii, and the armies of the two cities followed Tarquin to battle as he attempted to reinstate monarchial rule in Rome. The armies met in battle at Silva Arsia, a forest near Rome.

Aruns Tarquinius, the king's son, commanded his father's cavalry. Brutus, who happened to be Aruns' cousin, was the commander of the Roman cavalry, and the two cousins charged at each other and killed each other with their spears. The infantry soon joined the battle, and the right wing of each army was victorious. However, the Etruscan forces eventually fled the field, and the Romans claimed victory. The consul Publius Valerius Publicola returned to Rome in triumph on 1 March 509 BC, and he carried out the funeral of Brutus with great magnificence.